Oliver! is a truly wonderful, timeless musical, that was part of my childhood and one of my favourite musicals. When people speak of musicals, they refer to Wizard of Oz, Singin' In The Rain, Easter Parade, A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, King and I, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. Oliver! so deserves to be up there with them as a musical great, for that is exactly what it is. It has truly unforgettable songs by Lionel Bart, especially "Pick A Pocket", "As Long as he Needs Me" and "Oom Pah Pah". The choreography is just timeless, the sequence for "Consider Yourself" is one of the best scenes of the film, very energetic and wasn't overblown despite the danger of being that. The production looks lovely, wonderful costumes and sets, and the cinematography was excellent. And I mustn't forget the performances, absolutely exceptional! Ron Moody was magnificent as Fagin, oily yet somewhat lovable, and Jack Wild played Dodger with a real exuberance that was a real pleasure to see. Oliver Reed was suitably menacing as Bill Sikes, and Shani Wallis(a very underrated actress) was just delightful as Nancy. Harry Secombe is fine as Mr Bumble, great voice, well he was an opera singer, so that explains it. As for Mark Lester, he was appealing, however Kathe Greene's singing voice is my only complaint. It was lovely and tuneful, but sometimes for me it was too quiet, I did have to strain my ear to hear her. No matter how much it deviates from the Dickens story(and I will say I am very fond of David Lean's classic Oliver Twist) or how long it is, it is a timeless unforgettable musical gem. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Oliver!
Oliver!
(1968)
Timeless Musical, that truly deserves to be up there with the musical greats!
24 September 2009